AUSTRALIA, July 17, 2019 — FedEx Express, the world’s largest express transportation company and a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX), today announced the six winners of the FedEx Express/Junior Achievement International Trade Challenge (FedEx/JA ITC) Australia Finals 2019. These young entrepreneurs will represent Australia to compete with 54 of their peers from 10 other markets[1] at the Asia Pacific Finals which will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on August 18-21. At the Asia Pacific finals, finalists will be randomly grouped into new teams consisting of participants from different markets such as Australia, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, in order to promote cross-cultural collaboration. This environment is designed to encourage participants to share experiences from their home countries and discuss best practices.
At the Australia Finals this year, students presented their market entry strategies on cosmetics products into Indonesia. 124 students participated in the program, and 15 were invited to present in front of a panel of judges at the local competition. The judging panel, composed of FedEx and Junior Achievement representatives, evaluated the ideas based on the originality of their concept, feasibility of their strategy, and thoroughness of research for their business plans.
The six students who will advance to the Asia Pacific FedEx/JA ITC in Australia are:
- Kailash Sarma, Normanhurst Boys High School
- Ronaldo Keng, Reddam House
- Tony Kim, Normanhurst Boys High School
- Lily Wang, Ascham School
- Shivam Bhonsle, Homebush Boys High School
- Winny Li, North Sydney Girls High School
“We were impressed with the creativity and detail of each of the submissions where the students were able to tackle a business problem, and each create a unique solution,” said Peter Langley, vice president, FedEx Express, Australasia. “At FedEx, we are proud to support the ITC competition and empower young Australian entrepreneurs. We are committed to connecting their skills and business ideas to more possibilities.”
All finalists previously attended a one-day workshop to learn more about international trade and developed a market entry strategy as a precursor to developing their own individual plans for submission, alongside FedEx volunteers.
The ITC program introduces the fundamentals of global trade to aspiring young entrepreneurs and provides them with a solid foundation to build their future careers in business. Workshops were conducted prepare students for the intensive selection process. These workshops focused on developing their business plans and enhancing their presentation skills.
The annual FedEx/JA ITC is a regional competition that aims to nurture the entrepreneurial spirit and skills of students and introduce them to the fundamentals of global trade. The activity provides these aspiring youth entrepreneurs with the opportunity to gain a solid foundation on which to build future careers in business.
[1] Mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam